Only One
by soccer-pam
Summary: My first try at a fic. Draco is dreading his sixth year at Hogwarts because he is happy his father was arrested, but he's still been hiding from all the gossip. Ginny's life is fine, except for the fact that she loves the son of her family's worst enemy
1. Letters and Loves

Chapter 1: Letters and Loves

Draco Malfoy sat on the window sill in his room at Malfoy Manor. It was the night before he was to return to Hogwarts and he was dreading it. All summer he was haunted by a crush that had fallen on him a month before the end of term last year. He would have to face her, and Potter who had thrown his father in jail. He would have to hear talk about it after he'd worked so hard to hide from it all summer long.

He didn't like to admit it, but he was happy he was away from his father, or his father was away from him. That's why he'd always loved going back to Hogwarts. This year was a complete flip. He'd been secluded from his mother and didn't let any owls in his window all summer, scared of what would happen if anyone knew the truth.

He stared out the window at the sunset. The orange colour of the sun reminded him of her hair and then the blue colour of the sky, just like her eyes. He quickly turned away from the window, willing her image to disappear. Yet it stayed. It hung on the back of his eyelids so that every time he closed his eyes, he saw her. She was not a punishment, but it felt that way. He wanted to forget all about her. To forget the beautiful shape of her body, her flowing movements. The shining in her eyes and the way the sun reflected off her hair. The way she lit up a room whenever she entered. She wasn't a punishment, yet he felt punished.

He walked over to his trunk, open at the bottom of his bed and started to pack it again. This would be the fifth time he'd try to pack and wound up ripping everything back out.

_I really don't want to go back,_ he thought to himself as he tried as hard as he could to not pull everything back out. He walked over to the side of his bed and dropped himself onto it, back first. _Being a teenager is the worst thing in the world. Too many damn hormones. Why do I have to love someone who doesn't even know I exist? Why do I have to make her hate me for her to notice me?_

At that moment, there was on knock on his door that broke Draco out of his thoughts. He stared at his ceiling, not moving.

"Draco, darling," it was his mother, "You should really come out. I don't like it that you're in there all alone. You need to socially interact with people." She paused, waiting for a response that never came. "Draco, you haven't been taking any letters all summer. The least you could do is read them if you don't feel like answering them. I'll leave them outside the door for you. See you in the morning."

Draco listened to her footsteps echoing down the hall way. Once they had disappeared, he sighed and got up off his bed. He dragged himself over to the door, but before opening it, he heard scratching on his window.

He spun around to see a tiny owl with a letter attached to his leg. He'd never seen this owl before, but since he was going to read all of his letters, he might as well start with this one.

When he opened the window, the little owl jumped inside and sat on the window sill, holding out its leg. Draco sat down and untied the letter. He looked at the front. The handwriting was unknown to him, and he was very good at recognizing people by their writing. "Malfoy" was all it said.

He turned it over and ripped it open, his brow furrowed. When it was open, his eyes immediately jumped to the bottom of the letter, where the name would be signed. His eyes flew open in shock. There was no name, but it was signed. He went back to the beginning of the letter and started from there.

_Draco,_

_Don't even think about asking me who I am because I'll never tell you. If I did tell you, you'd tell the school and my heart would crumble in my chest. I don't know how to tell you this, but I suppose it's easier considering you have no idea who I am. I have loved you for longer than you can imagine, but have had to hide it all these years. Tomorrow will be the four year anniversary. I can't wait until I see you on the train tomorrow, on the way to Hogwarts. You can try to look for me, but I promise you'll never find me._

_I will always love you,_

_One you hate._

Draco folded the letter and stared out the window. If he were still cocky and ignorant, he would have smiled to himself and felt nothing at all thinking: _Of course. Everyone loves me,_ but he sat and thought about the letter for a long time.

Would he ever find her? Would she come out and show herself to him? Should he go looking for her? But then, he had an idea. There was a girl somewhere out there who had the courage to send a letter to the one she loved, even if she didn't identify herself.

Draco jumped up and walked quickly over to his desk in the corner of the room. He pulled open his drawer and grabbed a piece of parchment and a quill. He sat down, chewing on the tip of his quill before slipping it in the ink bottle and starting to write.

-

Ginny Weasley marched up the wooden steps at the Burrow to her room on the second floor. It was getting really late and she'd been up, waiting for her brother's owl, Pigwidgeon to return.

She entered her bedroom and saw the little owl sitting on her desk, fast asleep. He wasn't the only one in the room, though. Sitting right beside him, ruffling his feathers, was a beautiful, chocolate brown owl. Sitting at its feet was a letter.

She walked up to the desk and picked up the letter. She brought it over to her bed and sat down before looking at the front. On the front was written "Miss Weasley" in the most beautiful handwriting she'd ever seen. She flipped it over and carefully opened the envelope. There were two pieces of parchment on the inside. She took both of them out at the same time and noticed that one of them was blank. So she took the other one and read it.

_Ginny,_

_I love you. I might as well come out and say it right at the beginning because I don't want to hide it any longer. I love you. I've known you for a long time, but only really noticed your beauty and elegance recently. I kick myself everyday for not truly seeing you when we first met. I can be open now. I feel free to say what I want to say and I don't have to be ashamed of it. You have no idea what kind of burden has been lifted off me recently. Just always remember that I love you and that you are beautiful. No one has the right to tell you otherwise. I've been dreading tomorrow and seeing you on the Hogwarts Express because I know what you think of me and I know it's true. You hate me and have reason to, but I love you all the same. You give me reason to live when I wish I were never born._

_You are the love of my life,_

_One who loves you_

_PS. The empty parchment is for you to write back to me with the owl I have sent. I long to see your handwriting._

Ginny dropped the parchment in her lap. She stared blankly at the owl that was still sitting on her desk. She picked up the empty piece of parchment and stared at it. After rereading the letter several more times, she got up and fetched an ink bottle and a quill from her desk.

She sat on the wooden floor, in the light of the moon coming through her window and placed her three items on the floor in front of her. She flattened the blank piece of parchment before picking up the quill and sticking it in the ink.

She held the quill over the parchment and let it drip a few times on different parts of the parchment. She signed her name: _Virginia Weasley_, in the center of the parchment and dipped her quill back in the ink bottle. More drops fell all over the page, encircling her name. When she was satisfied with the amount of drops there were, she let it dry for a few minutes.

While waiting, she looked over the letter again. She had never seen that writing before, so elegant and perfect. When she had decided that it was impossible to figure out who the writing belonged to by just staring at it, she went back to the parchment and folded it. She took some string out of her desk drawer and tied the letter onto the owl's leg.

When it was tied firmly, the owl jumped up and flew out the window. Ginny walked over and watched it fly away until it was just a dot in the sky. She sat there, on the couch beside her window, thinking what a weird night it had been.

First, she sends out a letter to the person she loves, and the same night she gets a letter from someone who loves her. A letter from someone who didn't sign his name, just as she didn't sign hers. A letter that said they'd be seeing each other on the train the next day, but they both had to hide what they actually felt.

Ginny realized that the letters were so much alike, it was as if someone had read her letter and decided to write one back. She gasped almost fell off her couch. What if Draco was the one who had sent her the letter? Did he recognize her writing and was he just tormenting her? What if he actually did love her, though? What if he didn't realize he was sending a letter to the same person that had sent a letter to him?

Ginny's mind buzzed with unanswerable questions as she changed and climbed into bed. Every night before she went to bed, she would telepathically send messages to the one she loved. This night, she was much to busy thinking of other things, but fortunately for her, she still fell asleep with the image of Draco in front of her eyes.


	2. Rushed Starts

Chapter 2 - Rushed Starts

Draco woke up the next day on top of his covers on his bed. It was so late when he sent his owl out to Ginny and he'd fallen asleep waiting for an owl back. He was sure he wouldn't get one back that night, but waited anyway. As he got up from his bed, he saw that Kronos, his owl, was sleeping on his window sill. He sleeply walked over to the window and knocked on the glass to wake him up. Kronos ruffled his feathers and flew a few feet away from the window as Draco opened it. He swooped in and landed on Draco's desk, shaking his leg to get the parchment unattached. He was annoyed after having to wear it all night. He was also slightly mad at Draco for closing his window, but forgave him cause he knew that he didn't need anyone mad at him right now.

Draco took the parchment from Kronos and, jt as he started to open it, his mother burst into the room followed by two servants. He quickly hid the parchement, not wanting his mom to make a fuss over him writing and reading letters.

"Hurry up, Draco darling," she said as she ushered the servants over to Draco's trunk and belongings. "We have to hurry and get to King's Cross. It's already 10:00 and you know it takes at least 45 minutes to get there. Hurry up and get dressed!" She hurried out of the room, the servants behind her with his trunk.

He dropped the parchment on his desk and walked over to his closet, taking out black jeans and an expensive black, button up shirt. As fast as he could, he dressed and grabbed the parchement. He started to run out of the room before he remembered Kronos sitting on his desk. He stopped at the door and called him over to his arm. Draco started to run as Kronos landed on his arm.

He met his mom downstairs and they hurried out to the carriage waiting in the driveway. Draco climbed in the carriage with Kronos still on his arm. He jumped onto the seat beside his master.

"Oh, Draco dear," sighed his mother. "Would you please put that bird into his cage? I really don't like it sitting on the seat like that. This fabric is very expensive and I don't want him ruining it."

"Yes, mother," mumbled Draco as he opened the cage and pushed Kronos inside. He would've liked to have argued with her and reminded her that he wasn't a bird, but an owl. It wouldn't have gone by well and he didn't really feel like talking to his mother at this time.

He sat quietly until they were a few miles away from town and the station. They had to change into a car because the carriage would stand out too much. His mother tried to talk to him about the summer and about his father, but he wouldn't listen. He didn't want to think about him right now.

When they arrived at the station, Draco rushed inside with Kronos's cage while a servant came behind with his trunk. They rushed through the barried and were on the platform with ten minutes to spare. As Draco said good-bye to his mother, she handed him his letters from the summer, thinking he might want to read them on the way down to Hogwarts. He didn't really hear what she was saying, though because right as she handed him the letters, he looked away right in time to see Ginny appear on the platform after the Dream Team.

She talked happily with Hermione as if nothing were wrong in her life. Draco wished his life could be like that. He silently got on the train and went to find a compartment so he could start acting as if nothing were wrong, to his fellow Slytherins.

Ginny slowly drifted out of a dream because of a little knock on her door.

"Ginny, it's time to get up, honey," said her mother's voice from through the door. She moaned and rolled over. "You don't want to be late for the train so get out of bed and come downstairs for some breakfast. Make sure your trunk is all packed, too." She heard footsteps get quieter as Mrs. Weasley walked away from Ginny's door.

She must've falled back asleep because the next thing she knew, there was someone pounding on her door, loudly.

"Ginny get your butt out of bed!" It was Ron. "We have to leave in an hour and you still have to eat, shower and get dressed at least!" he yelled. "Hurry up!"

"Aw crap!" Ginny mumbled as she threw off her covers. She hurried across the hall to the bathroom and took a quick shower. The next fifteen minutes were spent putting on makeup and doing her hair. She didn't like to use magic to do her hair, as a lot of her classmates did. She put it half up-half down. Her hair had grown a lot in the past few years that it was almost halfway down her back. She'd just discovered that summer that she loved the curl her hair. It was something different from her straight hair that got boring after a while.

She ran down the stairs making a ton of noise, just to get to some breakfast before there was nothing she could, or would, eat. She had some eggs and sausages that her mom warmed up for her.

It was five minutes before they had to leave and Ginny was in her room, shoving a few last things into her trunk. Her mother came rushing in, slammed her trunk shut and charmed it to float out to the car. She stood there with her purse in her hand, staring after her mother as she rushed out.

"Come on, Ginny dear!" her mother called from the room where Hermione was staying. "We have to hurry or else we're going to be late!" Ginny grabbed her sweater from her bed and headed out her room and down the stairs.

For the next hour, Ginny sat next to Hermione on the way to King's Cross Station. They talked a lot, but Ginny did a lot of thining too. She was trying as hard as she could to contain her excitement of seeing Draco again, even if she had to act like she hated his guts. She still thought about the letter she'd gotten last night. Was she just getting her hopes up in thinking that it was Draco?

Her thoughts were cut off as they arrived at King's Cross. Mr. Weasley grabbed a few trolleys and Ginny wheeled her trunk into the station, talking with Hermione again. They arrived at the barrier and Ginny watched Ron and Harry disappear into the wall. Hermione started to make a run and Ginny followed closely behind her.

She started to continue her conversation with Hermione when she got on the platform. They were talking about the upcoming year and Hermione was telling Ginny about the NEWTs she wanted to get.

She felt she was being watched so Ginny turned around in a circle, looking for someone looking her way. She couldn't find anyone talking to her, but she did see a flash of blonde she'd been looking for since she stepped on the platform. Draco had his back to her and was talking to Pansy and his fellow Slytherins.

She said good-bye to her parents before climbing onto the train and looking for a compartment with Hermione. She sat down beside the window and prepared herself for the long year of pretending.


End file.
